Primary School Project
est. 2008
Director Introduction
Hi, my name is Hester, and I’m a third year English Literature student and am so
excited to be the new Primary School Project Director! Having volunteered on the
project in my first year and been involved in running Young Person’s Project (another
Mildert project) last year, I can confidently say that Mildert’s outreach is fantastic and
truly enriching to your university experience. Primary School Project brings purpose
and a space outside of ordinary studies to develop key skills and help others, and I
would highly recommend volunteering!
Overview
Volunteers on the Primary School Project visit local primary schools in their second term. This could either be as a classroom assistant for children ages 4-11, or choosing to run after-school clubs for the children
Motivation
Volunteers’ time and energy can make such a difference in education; they enable more attention and time to be given to pupils by assisting often overworked teachers. Having caring and engaged volunteers can make a really positive impact on young pupils to give them positive experiences with learning.
What we do
Volunteers have two options within the project. As a classroom assistant, they can choose to spend a morning or afternoon per week in a classroom of a local primary school, where they can assist activities in the lesson or read with students, providing pupils with valuable time reading aloud to develop their literacy. As a volunteer choosing to run an after-school club, volunteers can share their interests and experience with the children eg. football or drama club.
Outcomes
For many years, this project has successfully provided immense help and enhancement to local schools. Volunteers have increased one-to-one time and
attention pupils receive, decreasing stress of teachers. The after-school clubs have fostered interests and skills for pupils which will be valuable for young students’ futures.